There are a variety of technical approaches for providing scent to the air within a household. Potpourri is one approach used to provide such a benefit. Some consumers make their own homemade potpourri mixtures. Other consumers prefer to purchase their potpourri mixtures from retailers.
Scented wax potpourri is commercially available. In practice, the wax is heated to be in a liquid phase and volatile and semi-volatile fragrance components dispersed in the wax are released into the air from the melted wax.
The supply chain for large scale manufacturers of scented wax potpourri to deliver product to the shelves of retailers can be lengthy. This can occur because of the distance between the production facility and the end retailer, which may be on different continents. Further, to limit the risk of not being able to meet retail demand at a particular time, one or more of the manufacturer, distributor, and retailer may maintain inventory that can be tapped to meet and absorb fluctuations in the demand for the product.
As the scented wax composition moves through the supply chain, the product can be exposed to harsh environmental conditions. Potentially detrimental environmental conditions to which the product is exposed include heat and moisture. Commonly, products are shipped via a container on a truck, rail car, or boat. These containers can sit in the sun in hot climates for long durations. Temperatures inside the container can exceed 50° C. and can occur for many days.
The consequence of high temperature in the supply chain can be problematic with respect to the perfume benefits of scented wax potpourri. The degradation of polymeric materials can increase the rate of decomposition of perfume raw materials, resulting in a change in scent intensity of the scented wax potpourri at one or more consumer touch points, such as neat product odor and release of perfume when melted. In addition, some perfume raw materials may be more sensitive than others to degradation, resulting in a change in the character of the scented wax potpourri.
With these limitations in mind, there is a continuing unaddressed need for a process for imparting scent to air employing scented particles that are stable during the length of time between manufacture and use.